Protective face masks are quite commonly used in surgical operating rooms, emergency treating rooms, chemical or other types of laboratories, and in dental treatment areas. These masks are intended primarily to protect the face of the wearer from spray of, for example, blood, saliva, or chemicals that are or can be harmful. The necessity of protecting the face has become even more acute with the outset of AIDS where the potential for transmission from one person to another is great. Furthermore, those called upon to treat AIDS patients need the reassurance that there is substantially total protection of the face from spray of even breath emanating from the patient.
Unfortunately, where total protection of the face is to be had, prior art masks or shields are, in general, made to fit tightly to the face of the wearer, thus causing heat and moisture build-up between the shield and the face. In addition to the discomfort engendered, the heat and moisture are especially bad where the wearer of the shield wears eye glasses, since the glasses tend to fog up, and, in order to eliminate such fogging, the shield must be removed from the wearer's face.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,911,817 of DuBois, there is shown a face shield designed to protect the wearer from the sun's rays. The shield is attached to a headband, and projects outwardly therefrom so that a gap is formed between the wearer's face and the shield. Such an arrangement permits air circulation, lowering the heat build up. However, the face of the wearer, and more particularly, the lower portion and the underside of the lower jaw, are not protected from spray emanating from below the wearer's head.
A protective face mask is shown in U.S. Pat No. 3,828,366 of Conrad et al, which affords substantial protection to the face of the wearer, but which, in order to do so, overlies the face and conforms to the shape thereof. Inasmuch as the mask is made of impermeable plastic material, it can become quite uncomfortable, especially if worn for an extended period of time. In addition, eyeglass wearer's would have difficulty with such a mask since no provision is made for eyeglasses and the heat build up would soon, as pointed out heretofore, cause the glasses to fog up.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,774,970 of DuBois discloses a face shield which allows circulation of air, but which does not protect the entire face, nor does it accommodate eyeglass wearers.
In all of this prior art, a compromise has been made to insure protection of the entire face or provide for air circulation between the mask and the face. In all cases it is one or the other, but never both.